Could Congestion Pricing Pay Off for Chicago?
Second City leaders have discussed following Manhattan’s lead in tolling roads to ease traffic. But a Chicago-style version of New York’s policy might look very different.
Chicagoans are no stranger to congestion, but the problem is more of an issue on the highways outside the city.
Photographer: Kamil Krzaczynki/AFP via Getty Images
A little more than a year ago, New York City became the first North American city to implement congestion pricing, with vehicles charged $9 to enter Manhattan south of 60th Street during weekdays. That triggered a showdown between New York Governor Kathy Hochul, who championed the program, and President Donald Trump, who repeatedly vowed to kill it.
Eight hundred miles to the west, leaders in Chicago were keeping a watchful eye. “It was very exciting to watch all the drama in New York,” said Elizabeth Scott, principal policy analyst at the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning.